Chevron Australia has entered a new natural gas supply agreement with South32’s Worsley Alumina business, reinforcing the importance of reliable energy supplies to Australia’s alumina refining industry. The deal will support operations at the Western Australian facility, where energy availability remains central to mineral processing and industrial activity. Under the contract, Chevron will supply natural gas to South32 Worsley Alumina Pty Ltd from 1 January 2028. The arrangement continues a longstanding commercial relationship between the companies, with the fuel allocated to the alumina producer’s processing requirements. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: " Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade...
Rio Tinto and Rondo Energy have commenced front-end engineering and design for a 30 MW/360 MWh thermal energy storage project at the Yarwun alumina refinery near Gladstone, Queensland, marking a potential milestone in the use of heat batteries to reduce emissions from alumina refining. The Rondo Heat Battery will store energy as high-temperature heat in refractory bricks and supply continuous process heat to support Rio Tinto’s alumina refining operations. If progressed, the project would be one of the first large-scale demonstrations of thermal energy storage for industrial process heat globally and a world-first for the alumina industry. Heat batteries target round-the-clock industrial demand Australia regularly experiences four to six hours of surplus solar-generated renewable...
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Alpha HPA has reportedly manufactured a batch of 99.99% high purity alumina (HPA) coating pre-cursor material at its demonstration plant as part of its HPA First project that aims to produce 10,000 tonnes per annum HPA and related products. The material is meant for using in coating cathode and anode particles inside lithium-ion batteries. Alpha has manufactured this 20kg batch of pre-cursor material under a market outreach program in cooperation with offtake partner Traxys. As a result, the material is available for immediate shipment from Alpha’s Brisbane-based demonstration plant. Alpha claims it has “recognised a key market opportunity” to use its proprietary HPA First solvent extraction and refining technology to develop the pre-cursor material. These pre-cursor materials are created...
Rio Tinto has considerably progressed with its $75 million planned maintenance shutdown work at two of its alumina refineries in Gladstone, Queensland this year. Despite the COVID-19 restrictions, the mining giant conducted maintenance work at Queensland Alumina Limited and Yarwun refinery by using about 500 additional contract workers and stringent screening and controls. The Yarwun refinery is shut from June to October during day shifts to repair the digestion, boiler, and calciner areas of the plant, ensuring limited impacts on production. “The complexity of the shut at Yarwun is an opportunity to re-think the way we do things and explore innovation in our systems,” Rio Tinto Yarwun general manager Mark Gilmore said. He also said, “We have found ways to safely deliver our shuts during...
Alcoa, the global leader in bauxite, alumina, and aluminium products on 23 rd September’20, announced the diversification of its Sustana™ product line with the inclusion of EcoSource™, the industry’s first low-carbon smelter-grade alumina brand. EcoSource is produced with no more than 0.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO 2 e) per tonne of alumina, two times better than the industry’s average of 1.2 tonnes of CO 2 e. Alcoa’s measurement includes direct emissions from the Company’s bauxite mining and alumina refining processes and indirect emissions from the energy consumed in those processes. Alcoa runs the global largest third-party alumina business, and its refining system has the industry’s lowest carbon footprint. The refineries that produce EcoSource™ alumina have an average...
Altech Chemicals Limited has made public that it is in the final development stage of a high purity alumina (HPA) grade that is specifically designed for anode applications within lithium-ion batteries. This initiative is in reaction to lithium-ion battery anode development trends that Altech has identified in Europe from its engagement with potential HPA users, and its work with research organisations such as the international renowned Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Institute. The initiative also offers another potential avenue to secure a portion of future HPA production at a predetermined floor price, which would support project financial close. HPA is commonly applied as a coating on the separator sheets used within a lithium-ion battery; as alumina coated separators improve battery...
Ukraine is a developing country and ranks 88th on the Human Development Index. As of 2020, Ukraine is the poorest country in Europe alongside Moldova in terms of GDP per capita. Ukraine has a mixed economic system in which there is limited private freedom, combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation. The major industrial sector that contributes to the economy of Ukraine is coal, electric power, ferrous, aluminium, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing, etc. The Eastern European nation’s alumina exportation during 2017-19 has been recorded at 8.23 million tonnes. The analysed import of alumina for 2020 has been marked at 3.35 million tonnes, however, when it gets added to the existing three years it depicts 11.58 million tonnes. In 2017,...
Montenegro's economy is transitioning to a market system. Around 90% of Montenegrin state-owned companies have been privatized, including 100% of banking, telecommunications, and oil distribution. The major industrial sectors that support the economy of the nation are aluminium, steel, consumer good, etc. Uniprom KAP or Aluminium Plant Podgorica, is a Montenegrin aluminium smelter company, located on the southern outskirts of Podgorica, Montenegro. The alumina import of the Balkan nation during 2017-19 was recorded at 171,323 tonnes and the expenditure occurred for the import stood at $74.40 million. The import for 2020 has been marked at 51,165 tonnes and the foreign revenue expenditure to be remaining at $16.26 million. When the import and expenditure figures get assorted to the...
As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, average spot alumina price in China has increased by RMB 6 per tonne on Monday, 21 September 2020 to stand at RMB 2334 per tonne, after remaining flat at 2333 per tonne since September 10. Alumina price in Shandong has risen by RMB 5 per tonne to stand at RMB 2325 per tonne. The prices of alumina in Henan, Shanxi, Guizhou, Guangxi China markets have remained unchanged at RMB 2340 per tonne, RMB 2320 per tonne, RMB 2355 per tonne and RMB 2355 per tonne on Monday, 21 September 2020. SMM aluminium ingot price has started the week higher at RMB 14790 per tonne on Monday, 21 September 2020 from Friday’s price of RMB 14780 per tonne. This marks a growth of RMB 10 per tonne. The price is expected to range at RMB 14770-14810 per tonne. In Foshan and Wuxi, the...
According to the latest USGS data on the United States alumina imports in Q2 2020, the volume grew quarter-on-quarter from 357,000 tonnes to 361,000 tonnes, up by 1.12 per cent. But on a year-on-year basis, the imports dropped by nearly 1 per cent from 364,000 tonnes. In the entire first half of 2020, the United States alumina imports totalled 718,000 tonnes, down by 27.25 per cent from 987,000 tonnes during the same period last year. Brazil continued to be the leading exporter to the US, supplying 197,000 tonnes of alumina in Q2 2020. In the first quarter of the year, Brazil supplied 233,000 tonnes of alumina to be the US, meaning the imports decreased quarter-on-quarter by 15.45 per cent in Q2. Over the year, Brazil’s alumina exports to the US dropped as well by 15.81 per cent from...
Argentina's economy, which is one of the more powerful in the region, is dependent on services and manufacturing, although agribusiness and ranching dominated the economy for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Aluar is the only aluminium smelter in Argentina and one of the largest in South America. The Latin American nation’s alumina import during 2017-19 reflects both growth and fall, as the import volume stood at 21,64,530 tonnes and the expenditure occurred during the phase on the alumina import remained at $866.99 million. The import for 2020 has been marked at 694,797 tonnes and the expenditure to stand at $223.66 million. However, when the import volume and expenditure for 2020 gets added to the existing three years, it denotes 28,59,327 tonnes and $1.09 billion respectively....
In 2019, the share of agriculture in Finland's gross domestic product was 2.22%, the industry contributed approximately 23.97% and the services sector contributed about 60.35%. The Northern European nation’s importation of alumina remained oscillating during 2017-19, as the import volume recorded was 8446 tonnes and the expenditure occurred during the importation remained at $10.87 million. The import for 2020 has been analysed to be at 3058 tonnes and expenditures to stand at $3.77 million. However, when the 2020 import volume and expenditures get assorted with the existing three years it exhibits 11,504 tonnes and $14.64 million respectively. Finland’s import of alumina in 2017 remained at 1774 tonnes and the expenditures stood at $2.16 million, whereas in 2018 the import saw growth by...
Huasheng alumina refinery, located at Fangchenggang Port, Guangxi, started trial production on September 10, having come online in August, said several sources to Fastmarkets on Monday, September 14. The commencement of trial production at Huasheng refinery followed after Chalco received a license for its 100,000-square-metre bonded bauxite warehouse in Guangxi region in southern China in June 2020. The warehouse, which has a storage capacity of 1.02 million tonnes of bauxite, would also serve Chalco’s Guangxi Huasheng alumina refinery. The new refinery, part of Chalco Group, has a total production capacity of 2 million tonnes per annum across two production lines, each having 1 million tonnes per year capacity. The construction of the refinery began in late 2018. The sources also added...
Vedanta Limited’s Lanjigarh has received CII Eastern Region Excellence Award for Safety, Health & Environment in ‘large scale manufacturing unit above 2500 employees’ category. The CII award marks the recognition from CII Eastern Region for the leadership, vision and efforts by organizations in establishing path breaking practices in industrial safety, occupational health and environment protection. Rakesh Mohan, Chief Operating Officer, Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh received the award during the 14th edition of CII Safety Exhibition and Symposium held virtually on 10th September 2020. Rakesh Mohan said, “The operations at Vedanta Lanjigarh are aligned with the core sustainability aspects, fostered by a culture of care for its employees and the environment it works in. This award is a...
According to a recent report, LAlumina LLC is close to the process of employee retrenchment due to the continued economic challenge, as was announced months ago. The news came after former acting plant manager Peter Odgers said the process of laying off more than 300 employees is nearly completed. His last day at work was on August 28, and now only a skeleton crew remains to maintain the 2,500-crore complex’s mine waste ponds, known as red mud lakes or red mud ponds. As per the report, company officials are looking for a possible buyer for the facility, which has been in Ascension Parish since the 1950s and has one of the largest, deep water terminals on the lower Mississippi River. But local economic development and state regulators seem to have no knowledge regarding the latest affair....
According to a Reuters report, Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) has announced the new plan to launch alumina futures contract by the first half of 2021. The contract was slated for launch in 2019. "We hope for a first-half listing," Ge Wanwan, senior manager at the ShFE said at the sidelines of the China International Copper Forum in the southeastern city of Xiamen. China has some of the most liquid commodities futures markets. Shanghai exchange currently trades futures contracts in aluminium, copper, zinc, lead and flagship steel products. The country also plans to gain more traction from foreign investors and companies and has international futures products such as crude oil and iron ore. According to data from the China's National Bureau of Statistics, alumina production in China came...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the average alumina spot price in China has recorded a plunge of RMB 13 per tonne to stand at RMB 2,333 per tonne on Thursday, September 10, following a restraint at RMB 2,346 per tonne on the earlier day. In Shanxi and Shandong, the price has declined by RMB 20 per tonne and RMB 15 per tonne, respectively, to come in at RMB 2,320 per tonne, while that in Henan has shrunk by RMB 10 per tonne to RMB 2,340 per tonne, found SMM. In other cities like Guangxi and Guizhou, the average alumina spot price has remained restrained at RMB 2,355 per tonne. Imported alumina price or Australian alumina FOB price has neither shown any changes from RMB 2,375 per tonne and US$ 275 per tonne, as of September 10. A00 aluminium ingot price has also remained muted at RMB...
Clarendon Alumina Production Limited, CAP, has repaid all its outstanding debt to the alumina partner Noble Group, amounting to US$135.7 million. The Jamaican Government indicated last month that it planned to repay the funds, but gave no precise timeline. However, in a notice to shareholders this week, Noble Group Holdings Limited said: “Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Noble Resources International Pte Ltd, has received full repayment of the loan and interest outstanding under the prepayment facility agreement with CAP.” “The aggregate amount received was US$135.7 million,” Noble said. Jamalco is CAP’s primary asset. Clarendon Alumina Production holds 45% of the refinery on behalf of the Government of Jamaica, while Hong Kong-based Noble Group holds 55% via subsidiary General Alumina...
The latest data of Shanghai Metals Market showed that China’s alumina production in August 2020 stood at 5.97 million tonnes, including 5.76 million tonnes of metallurgical-grade alumina. This marked a slight growth of 1 per cent in comparison to the output of 5.7 million tonnes of metallurgical-grade alumina in July 2020. Increase in production at a few alumina refineries in Shanxi and commissioning of new capacities in south-west China contributed to the hike in August output. The daily average alumina output was also up by 1 per cent month-on-month and 3.41 per cent over the year to stand at 185,700 tonnes in August. The total production of metallurgical-grade alumina in the first eight months of the year amounted to 44.1 million tonnes, down by 5.35 per cent year-on-year. As of early...
FYI Resources has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Alcoa of Australia to advance the development of high purity alumina (HPA) refining technologies. FYI has already started developing a process for producing high-quality HPA in the face of a limited supply of the product. The new agreement between Alcoa and FYI Resources is supposedly seeing the possibility of commercialising HPA refining project and establishing offtake customers into HPA markets. Having both the company’s technical capabilities and capacities in producing alumina, the agreement is also expected to lead to a joint venture in the future. FYI managing director Roland Hill is pleased to have signed an agreement with Alcoa, one of the world’s most successful alumina producers, to potentially develop...
